ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the mist Reviews

I had a lot of fun playing Ender Magnolia, there's a lot to like: the visuals are evocative and full of life, enhanced by the original and somber OST, and the combat system feels familiar and dynamic, not to mention the animations that felt smooth and responsive. The world feels lived in and put together cohesively but the story could use a revamp. There are some cool design elements that I particularly enjoyed like the fact that parts of the map change colour only when all the items in them are collected or how the progression system and level design makes it easier to access certain areas and help you remember how to track parts of the world you don’t have access to yet. Boss battles were great and challenging, I also really liked that respites were usually located very close to their arenas so I could replay the battles faster. There are certain questionable design choices that I think could be improved, like the levelling system for example - it’s just too simplistic and doesn’t add anything into the game. I wanted to feel excited about the level bar that was filling up as I smashed more enemies but all it did was just increase stats automatically. I wish there was a more engaging system in place, like for example tie it together with the Homunculus skills or even allow the player to increase stats manually. Homunculi that you acquire during your playthrough provide a wide array of skills but I haven't even used most of them because the game didn’t encourage me to do so which is a shame because I feel that there was a lot of potential in some of them. Coming back to the story, If the developers decide to create another installment of the game can we skip the amnesia cliche? I feel that we’re all collectively tired of it. And it would be good to broaden up the naming convention - not every female character's name must start with the letter ‘L’ (Lily, Lilac, Lilia, Levy, Luiseach). Overall the game is a solid Metroidvania and if you like this genre you will have a lot of fun playing it.

Another great entry from this amazing team. They kept everything that make Ender Lilies great, and then build on top of it some QoL features. If ain't broken, don't fix it. And the team lived by these words. If you enjoyed the first one like I did, this new entry is a no-brainer.

Amazing game. It does so many little things right that it should probably be taught in classes. The areas have a distinct look and feel. Enemies don't feel like reskinned clones. There's no confusion about which bits you can traverse and what might require more abilities to be unlocked. Convenient rest points before bosses, so that you don't need to retrace your path and can face them at your best. Easy teleportation right from the map without having to go back. And when you kill a boss, the game just recovers you health and potions. Why didn't someone figure that out earlier? The difficulty curve is smooth throughout, and there's no need to grind. There's usually many directions you can explore in, though there were a few points where I could've used a bit more direction. Oh, and you can replay cutscenes. And if you carry a quest item, conversations with NPCs trigger automatically. You don't need to talk to everyone in town to see if something useful triggers. Oh, and the map tells me which sections have been fully explored and colour codes them. And marks things up. And I can place custom markers, but honestly didn't need to because the map is great already. Art direction is ace. Music is pretty good, though I prefer Ender Lilies. The story is decent, but not really anything groundbreaking.

An absolute must for metroidvania fans that builds on the foundation of its beloved predecessor. The game shines with its stunning hand-drawn art and deeply atmospheric world. A refined and fluid combat system, with constant additions of new mechanics keeping the gameplay fresh and entertaining constantly, feels incredibly rewarding. And the soundtrack.... simply fantastic, adding a lot to the melancholic atmosphere of the game. And those cutscenes... amazing too, need an anime of this! Would mention something negative about it (maybe some of the most "mazy" aread can get a bit annyoing?), but anything feels so minor against all the high quality and care you can see in every aspect. Again, a must-play.

Ender Magnolia is everything I would want from a sequel to Ender Lillies. - Improved graphics, the original still has incredible animation but this one is a natural improvement - Quality of life editions including better mini map designs, menus with better visualizations and guides, no contact damage is huge. - More dialogue between the characters - Spirits are more innovative and fast paced offering a better experience in my opinion There are many more improvements and things that I loved about this game such as the more steampunk vibe, the different color outfit options. The only area that I feel mixed on are the boss battles, playing on normal i feel the bosses, with the exception of 1 or 2, are far easier than Ender Lillies. For me it slightly takes away the rush I felt from beating a boss in the first game, but at the same time there is custom difficulty in this game which is really cool. I would rate this game a very strong 4.5/5

This one is an improvement from the first game. even though prefer Ender Lilies atmosphere (i'm not really into steampunk) but i think it's more polished, the combat is more fluid and the exploration is still rewarding. The enemies and boss fights aren’t as punishing as in Ender Lilies, since they add a difficulty settings, so you don’t die in one hit (go to hell, Julius) The only problem is in the land of origin where you have to swim on red water just to get a useless bracelet you never use, but that's fine i guess. it's still better than spending most of my time getting beaten up by Ulv and Julius (ffs i hate them more than i hate myself)

The boss fights are intense, and the exploration feels rewarding as you unlock new abilities to access hidden areas. I like the first character more, as Miri reminds me of Revenant from Elden Ring Nightreign, but the game’s atmosphere and fluid gameplay keep me coming back.

I was surprised I ended up enjoying this game more than Ender Lilies even though I already liked the first game a lot. The combat improvements are very noticeable. It was fun experimenting with different abilities and relics throughout the game, unlike in Ender Lilies where after a while I just stuck with the same stuff until the end. The character writing in the story is pretty great. The map is helpful and 100% map completion is fun. All of Mili's music in this game is very good, huge fan. If you liked Ender Lilies you will like Ender Magnolia for sure.

A metroidvania with a Souls feel and the sequel to Ender Lilies. Like its predecessor your arsenal is made up of spirits you summon to attack on your behalf, though your pool of possible spirits is smaller. They do each have 3 variants, though some also feel unappealing to use and it doesn't feel like you get as many ways to mix and match, though that's more of a personal thing probably. They are still fun to use however and combat in this game remains exciting. And an upside of the new system is your smaller pool of spirits become more like party members you collect as you go along and you have conversations with them occasionally throughout the game. The art and animation are gorgeous once again, and so is the music, and they all work well together to give the game a dark and mystical vibe. If you liked the first game or metroidvania in general then I can strongly recommend this too.

With so many Metroidvanias coming out, it's no surprise that some amazing ones are falling through the cracks. I'm worried that's happening to Ender Magnolia. But let me tell you this, this game is something special. it has everything you'd expect: a huge map that slowly unfolds, cool new powers that let you reach new places, and combat that feels just right. But where it truly shines is in its soul. You can feel the love in every aspect of the game. The gorgeous hand-drawn world, and the music will stick with you long after you put the controller down. Trust me, if you're a fan of the genre, you owe it to yourself to experience this one.